Zogby Poll is Latest to Show Shifting Attitudes Among Military Personnel
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new poll from Zogby
International and the Michael D. Palm Center reveals that U.S. military
personnel are increasingly comfortable serving with openly gay colleagues.
The poll, released today, reveals that 73 percent of military members are
comfortable with lesbians and gays. Nearly one in four (23 percent) service
members report knowing for sure that someone in their unit is lesbian or
gay, including 21 percent of those in combat units.
"Today's poll is one more nail in the coffin of 'Don't Ask, Don't
Tell,'" said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network (SLDN). "Those who defend the law have argued that openly
gay personnel harm military readiness. This research highlights the
absurdity of such a hypothesis. Not only are there more than 65,000
lesbians and gays serving in the armed forces, but many are serving openly.
Their straight colleagues are just fine with that. At a time when our
fighting forces are stretched thin and leaders are calling for the
recruitment of more troops, it is time for Congress to do away with this
archaic law."
The poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan also found
that, even among those who did not know for certain if a gay colleague was
in their unit, nearly half (45 percent) suspected as much. Among those who
did know a gay colleague, few said their presence undermined morale. In
1993, only 13 percent of enlisted personnel supported open service.
The Zogby poll is the latest in a series of polls and public statements
indicating readiness for a chance in policy. A 2004 Annenberg poll found
that a majority of junior enlisted personnel favor allowing gays to serve
openly, up from 13 percent in other polls from 1993. Among the general
public, Gallup has found 79 percent support for repealing the gay ban. A
recent Boston Globe poll also found that a majority of conservatives and
regular church-goers favor repeal, too.
Senior military leaders are increasingly speaking up in favor of
reviewing the ban on open service as well. Lieutenant General Claudia
Kennedy, USA (Ret.), the first female to achieve three-star rank in the
Army, recently called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a "hollow policy that serves
no useful purpose." Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christman, former
superintendent of West Point, told The New York Times that "It is clear
that national attitudes toward this issue have evolved considerably in the
last decade. This has been led by a new generation of service members who
take a more relaxed and tolerant view toward homosexuality."
"There has been a seismic shift among the military and the public in
favor of welcoming gay patriots in our armed forces," said Osburn.
"Congress should follow the example of those who serve on the frontlines
every day and repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' once and for all."
Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) will re-introduce The Military
Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and
allows gays to serve openly, when Congress reconvenes in 2007. During the
109th Congress, a bipartisan coalition of 123 lawmakers supported the bill.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a national, non-profit legal
services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending
discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and related forms of intolerance. For more
information, visit http://www.sldn.org.
SOURCE Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
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Related links:
http://www.sldn.org
CONTACT:
Steve Ralls of Servicemembers Legal Defense
Network, +1-202-328-3244 ext. 116 or sralls@sldn.org
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